Barrel stave forming machine



W. T. HUMPHREY BARREL STAVE FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jul 30, 1957 WILLIAM 71 HUMPHRE'Y July 7, 1959 w. T. HUMPHREY BARREL STAVE FORMING MACHINE! 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1957 INVENTOR. WILL/AM r. HUMP/IRE? ATTORNEY y 7, 1959 w. T. HUMPHREY 2,893,446

' BARREL sTAvE FORMING MACHINE Filed July 50, 1957 l 3 Sheets-Shee t 3 INVENTOR.

WILL/AM. 7'. HUMP/{REY 40 I BY 1419,44

ATTORNEY United States Patent ice 2393346 I V I Patented July 7, 1959 respectively. The face 14, when the stave is assembled with others to form a barrel, is an exterior face, and 2,893,446 the nether or under face 16 would be disposed inside BARREL STAVE FORMING MACHINE -William T. Humphrey,-New Hope, Ky., assignor to Bourbon Cooperage Company incorporated, Campbellsville, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Application July so, 1951, Serial No. 675,203

8 Claims. 01. 14348) The present invention relates to a machine for finishing barrel staves, and is concerned especially with accurately cutting to length, and planing at least one face of, the stave undergoing finishing. The staves as presented to the machine may ordinarily vary as to the width dimension thereof, and also as to the height of the crown resulting from the transverse convexity of the stave, so that these variables are necessarily taken into account in designing and constructing the machine.

The production of barrel staves heretofore involved an excessive amount of handling, which entailed expenses of time and labor so magnified as to threaten the life of the industry. The particular operation with which the present invention is concerned, was especially Wasteful of time and labor, due in large part to the lack of uniformity in the staves and the difiiculty of automatic handling resulting therefrom. As an example of the conditions prevailing before perfection of the present invention, the services of five men were required to equalize and plane twelve to thirteen thousand staves per day. With the use of the machine herein disclosed, the rate of production has been increased to nearly twenty thousand per day, with the services of only two men required. Such advancement of the art has been one of great effect in the industry.

One object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a machine for the purpose stated, which materially increases production while at the same time reducing the costvery substantially.

Another object of the invention is to construct a stave finishing machine including means to compensate for variations in the staves, whereby a continuous rate of production is assured without the need forfrequent'servicing or attention.

Another object is to incorporate the elements of modest cost and great simplicity, in a machine of the character stated.

the barrel. The staves S, as previously stated, will ordinarily differ from one another in width, that is, in the distance between the side edges 10 and 12. The degree of convexity and concavity of the faces 14 and 16 is a constant factor, wherefore a stave resting upon a fiat surface with the face 14 uppermost, will arch above such surface a distance dependent upon the width of the stave, the wider stave extending the greatest distance above; as will be understood.

The machine of the invention is adapted to accept staves of varying widths, and of roughly equal lengths, and in an initial operation cut off both ends smoothly and accurately to establish the final length of the staves.

\ This is referred to as the equalizing step of the operation.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which: i l

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view'of the machine for finishing barrel staves, certain minor parts. being'broken away. 7

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1. 1 "IFig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail taken on line 3.-3 of Fig. 2. v ".Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, diagrammatic in form,

showing the stave transfer mechanism of themachine in the'inoperative condition. I

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.4, showing the transfer mechanism in condition to catapult a stave'to the planer section.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view looking downwardly upon Fig. 5.

hall of the drawing views, the character S indicates a wood barrel stave in an intermediate stage of completion, at which its side edges 10 and 12 are straight and parallel, andthe faces 14 and 16 are convex and concave,

The staves so equalized then pass on automatically to a transfer station at which the staves are projected or catapulted lengthwise to a planing section of the machine, wherein the convex faces 14 are smoothly finished. The concave or nether faces 16 of the staves are permitted to remain rough and unfinished, because these faces will eventually be charred or otherwise treated after the barrel has been either fully or partly assembled. From the time that the staves are introduced to the machine, until discharge thereof following the planing operation, the staves are handled by the machine without human intervention. It will therefore be understood that at most, two workmen may operate the machine, one being employed to introduce staves at the feed end of the machine, and the other to receive them from the delivery end, if necessary.

The machine may include a main frame 18 constituted of a base 20 and a plurality of upright members 22 which support a pair of spaced parallel channel members 24, the channel members providing tracks upon which may move the endless chains 26 which advance the staves through the cut-off section of the machine. The two endless chains are supported in spaced parallelism by the channel members, and may be driven in unison about a series of sprockets 28, 30 and 32 fixed upon the sprocket shafts 34, 36 and 38 journalled in suitable bearings 39 as shown. One of the sprocket shafts may be rotated by means of a suitable motor, not shown, for constantly moving the conveyor chains 26-26 in the direction indicated by arrows in Figs. 4 to 6, or in clockwise direction upon Fig. 1.

At intervals along the length of the conveyor chains a series of driving lugs 40 are fixed, which function as pushers for the staves, to advance the staves as they rest upon the channels 24 at opposite sides of the machine. The driving lugs extend upwardly above the channels 24, as shown, and are preferably formed of flexible or resilient material, for a reason to be explained. It should be noted that lugs 40 are arranged upon the chains in such manner that one lug is directly opposite the other, thereby insuring travel of thestaves at exact right angles to the channels 24, as the sprockets drive the chains in one direction. All driving lugs of the chain which carries them, are equally spaced apart and the distance between any two driving lugs substantially exceeds the width of a stave, as Figs. 1 and 2 indicate. This disposition of the lugs provides the time interval needed for transfer of the staves from the cut-01f section of the machine to the planing section, aswill be explained in greater detail. Each flexible lug is preferably reinforced by a rigid metallic abutment 41.

It may be noted that the feeding station for the machine is at the sprocket shaft 34, and here the operator stands as he places upon the conveyor a succession of staves to be processed, one stave being placed ahead of 3 each pair of driving lugs. machine, are somewhat longer than required and must therefore be trimmed off at both ends accurately and uniformly. The cut-off at each end of the stave -is per: formedlpreferably by'means of a pair of circular. saws 4'2 and' 44, located outside the channels 24 -24 and about midway between the sprockets 28 and 30. A pair of guideplates 46-46 fixed upon the machine frame ahead of the saws and laterally spaced from the conveyor chains, serve to guide the staves to the saws in such manner that equal portions of the stave ends will be removed as the staves pass the saws or cut-off devices. The saw 42 is fixedly mounted upon the outer end of an arbor 48, which may be journalled in suitable bearing means 50 for rotation. The inner end of arbor 48 may carry a fixed multiple-groove pulley 52 to be drivenby gang belts 54 from the main pulley 56 of a motor 58. In like manner, the motor pulley may drive the separate arbor 60 of saw 44, through the agency of multiple belts 62'. It is highly desirable that the cut-off saws be mounted upon separate arbors as explained, so that each The staves, when so fed to the may performa cut-off independently of the other, in the interests of accuracy and. smoothness of the cuts. The saws may be adjustable lengthwise upon their respective arbors, in accordance with common practice.-

During the cut-off operation, the staves are to be held down upon the channels 24-24 to prevent chatter and toinsure accuracy of cutting, and suitable means is provided for this purpose; The holddown means may comprise a plurality of spaced parallel pressure plates or rails 6464 extending in the direction of conveyor travel, and having means suchas adjustable springs 66 yieldingly urging the pressure plates onto the staves as the latter move toward and past the cutoff saws'under the influence of the conveyor lugs 40. The resistance to travel of the staves induced by the pressure plates serves the added function of keeping the staves tightly pressed against the driving lugs, so that severance of the stave ends will be performed exactly at right'angles to the major axis of each stave. The pressure plates or rails 64 may be suspended beneath the fixed cross bars 68 which span the frame of the machine, and the adjusting screws 70 for the pressure springs may pass through said bars 68,.as shown in Fig. 1.

After having passed the cut-off saws, the staves are conveyed by the driving lugs 40 to a transfer station which comprises aseries of transfer rollers 72, which rollers are adapted to rotate freely in a plane which is at right angles to the direction of travel of staves in the cut-off section of the machine; that is, the shafts 74 of the rollers 72 extend at right angles to the major axes of the staves undergoing treatment. The roller shafts 74 may be supported upon cross braces 76 and 78 ofthe machine frame in any suitable manner which permits free and independent rotation of allthe transfer rollers. The stave supporting. area 80 of each transfer roller is preferably disposed at anelevation which approximates the elevation of the staves as they advance under the power of conveyor chains 26 (Fig. 4). Thus, the staves may be readily slid onto the several transfer rollers, depicted by Fig. 4, as the driving lugs 40 descend about the chain-supporting sprockets toward the underside ofthe conveyor. As the lugs move downwardly away from the stave deposited on the transfer rollers, in accordance with Fig. 4, the lugs flex as there shown, to release-the stave gently and position it upon the rollers transversely of the roller axes.

As soon as the stave is deposited upon the transfer rollers as above explained, a projector device 82 moves into position topositively and. rapidly displace the stave lengthwise out of the path of the next succeeding, stave, and into the feed rolls 84 of aplaner indicatedgener-ally 'by the character 86. The planer is equipped with a formed cutter 88' curved insubstantial conformity with the: convex outer: face 14 ofthe stave; and as thefeed 4 rolls advance the stave past the cutter, said face 14 is dressed and finished to final condition. The nether or inner face 16, as previously stated, is not to be planed, by preference.

The planer section of the machine comprises, in general, opposed frame parts 9090 supporting between them the cutter 88, and aconveyor 92 which cooperates with feed roll 84 to advance the stave to the cutter. A chain drive 94 for the feed mechanism may be connected to a suitable driving motor, and as usual, the cutter 88' is separately driven by a belt drive 96 having its own motor, not shown;

In Fig. 2, one stave is shown leaving the planer through a delivery roll means 98, while a second stave is being directed to the feed roller 84- by the projector mechanism 82. The character 100 indicates a dust hood over the cutter 88. Further explanation concerning the planer section of the machine is believed unnecessary, as the details thereof form no part of the present invention.

Attention is now directed to the projector device 82, which operatesin timed relation with deposit of staves uponthe transfer rollers, to thrust staves successively and rapidly toward the infeed rolls of the planer. Said device may include a movable carriage or frame 102 (Fig. l)-, having at one end a hinged connection 104 upon a stationary block 106 carried by the main frame of the machine. The movable carriage 102 may carry a motor and speed reducer combination 108, arranged to drive an arbor 110 upon which is mounted a series of spaced friction drive discs 1-12. The discs 112 preferably have serrated or roughened peripheral edges as shown, to' increase the frictional grip thereof upona stave to be projectedalong the transfer rollers 72. The arbor carrying, the discs may be journalled in bearings 1 14 fixed tothe movable carriage in position to mount the arbor 110 transversely of the staves as deposited on the transfer rollers. A belt or chain drive 116 may be employed for transmitting rotation of the reduction gear of the motor 108 to the disc arbor 110.

As is plainly evident upon Fig'. 1, the carriage 102 may bertiltedabout its pivot or hinge connection 104 to place the rotating friction drive discs 112 in contact with the underlying stave 8,. thereby .to project the stave lengthwise or in the direction of the planer infeed rolls. The discs 112 preferably are rotated constantly at a moderate speed sufiicient for prompt displacement of staves from the transfer rollers. In' the lowered position of Fig. 5, the projector device is operative to displace the stave longitudinally, whereas in the raised or inoperative position of Fig; 4' the projector device is withdrawn or elevated to permit deposit of a stave upon the transfer rollers 72.

Alternate raising and lowering of the projector carriage 102 may be accomplished in various ways, as for example by means of a cam 1 18 designed toro'ck anactuating Iever'120 having linkage connection with the car riage or an extension 122 thereof. In the embodiment illustrated; the' cam 118" is in the form of a disc, the peripheral edge of which is engaged by a follower 124 on lever The cam may be fixed upon sprocket shaft 36 for rotation therewith, and the size and shape of the cam maybe calculated to, rock the lever 120 in clockwise direction about its pivot 126, each time that a lobe of the cam lifts the follower as indicated upon Fig. 1. As the rock lever is so moved, the outer end 128 thereof pulls downwardly upon an adjustable link 130, which in turn rocks thecarriage 102 in clockwise direction: upon hinge 104', tolift the friction discs to the inoperative position.

When the cam 118 rotates to a position at which the follower enters a depression in the cam face, such as is indicated at 132, the rock lever swings in the counterclockwise direction and thereby elevates link 13!) to lower the rotating friction discs to operative position for projecting an: underlying stave S.

The 118', of-coume, must be so=coordinated with the stavedriving lugs 40 that action of the lugs in placing a stave upon the transfer rollers is followed immediately by a lowering movement of the projector carriage 102, to drive the stave into the planer as previously explained. The cam 118, in the present instance, is provided with two identical lobes separated by two identical recesses or valleys, which successively actuate the rock lever to elevate and lower the projector discs twice with each full rotation of the cam. In the course of a complete rotation of cam 118, two sets of driving lugs 40 will deposit two staves in succession uponthe transfer rollers, and each will be displaced therefrom by movementsvof the projector discs to the operative or lowered position.

An examination of the cam operation will reveal that the cam lobes are sufiiciently extensive to effect disposition of the projector device to the raised inoperative position throughout a major portion of the cam movement, and that the cam recesses or valleys will permit lowering of the projector device for only a limited period of time, which is sufficient to project a stave to the planer. As a consequence, the projector discs can never interfere with proper depositing of staves upon the transfer rollers.

The link 130 may be rendered adjustable for length at the turnbuckle 134, and at its upper end the link may be provided with a securing nut 135 and a spring 136 arranged to compensate for differences in lowering movements of the discs 112 required for reaching and projecting those staves which are narrow in width, and therefore lower in height, than the wider staves. I

It is here to be noted that the several friction drive discs comprising the projector device, are of varying diametral dimensions, the outermost discs of the group being the largest in diameter, and the innermost discs being progressively smaller toward the middle of the group. The relative sizes of the discs preferably are such that they form, when assembled as stated, a spool having a shape complementary to the convex face of the stave. This arrangement encourages full contact of the several projector discs upon the convex face of the stave, and imparts to the projector device a maximum degree of accuracy in directing the stave to the infeed rollers of the planer. Theiairangement of the discs and the contour of the disc group as disclosed, makes possible also the prompt transfer of wide and narrow staves with equal effectiveness. It is necessary only that the staves be deposited on the transfer rollers reasonably within the reach of the friction discs 12.

The friction discs of the projector device preferably are formed of metal plates circular in form, and pierced centrally thereof for application to the arbor 110. The periphery of each disc may be roughened by knurling, serrating, or notching in a manner effective to grip the staves and project them as the rotating discs are lowered to the operative position of Fig. 5. The discs of metal may in some instances mark the convex faces 14 of the staves, but since those faces are subsequently planed smooth by the planer cutter, such marking of the stave faces is not considered objectionable. To avoid marking, however, the disc peripheries might be covered with suitable tires of rubber or other friction material, as may be desired. Objectionable deep marking is controllable at the adjustable link 130, in the present embodiment.

In Fig. 1, the character 140 indicates a side guard plate for the chain conveyor. At 142 is shown a drag bar hinged or otherwise suspended at 144, the purpose thereof being to frictionally engage the upper face of a stave S in accordance with Fig. 1, to assure firm contact of the stave against its drive lugs 40 as the stave is advanced toward the transfer station at 72. The drag bar has a free end 146 located near the transfer rolls. The weight of the drag bar may be depended upon to relocate any stave that might possibly become disarranged upon the main conveyor after leaving the cut-off saws.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the reference characters 148 6 indicate angularly inclined ends on the pressure plates or rails 64, facilitating entry of the staves successively beneath such plates or rails while advancing toward the cut-off saws.

The machine herein disclosed performs to very materially expedite stave finishing operations which heretofore limited production and involved excessive expenditure of time and labor. Utilization of the invention, furthermore, minimizes the type of labor and handling which was highly inefficient and distasteful to the workmen involved, and as a result of the invention, working conditions and personnel relations are desirably improved to further expedite production. The machine as disclosed is durable and efiicient, and due to the simplicity and accessibility of all vital parts thereof, continuous and trouble-free performance are assured.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in structural details of the machine may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a barrel stave finishing machine, the combination of an elongate stationary frame, a pair of cut-off devices mounted in spaced relation at opposite sides of the frame, to equalize the lengths of staves fed thereto by severing end portions from the staves, a moving conveyor on the frame for feeding staves laterally in a common direction to and past the cut-off devices, said conveyor comprising a pair of spaced parallel chains each located at a side of the frame, upstanding flexible driving lugs on the chains arranged in pairs, to advance the staves sidewise with the major axes of the staves normal to the direction of travel of the conveyor, motor means driving the conveyor in a single direction of advancement, stave supporting means to which staves are delivered by the conveyor lugs in succession, a stave transfer device mounted upon the frame above the stave supporting means aforesaid, said transfer device comprising a carriage movable toward and from said supporting means, a rotatable arbor on the carriage, and friction discs on the arbor arranged to rotate in planes transverse to the line of conveyor advancement, means on the carriage constantly rotating said arbor and the discs carried thereby, and means actuated by the conveyor for elevating and lowering the carriage of the transfer device, to the extent of intermittently disposing the rotating discs in contact upon a stave carried by the supporting means.

2. A machine in accordance With claim 1, wherein the friction discs of the projecting device are of differing diametral dimensions, said discs being groups but spaced apart on the rotating arbor, with the largest discsoutermost and the progressively smaller discs innermost, thereby to form in eifect a spool shaped in substantial conformity with the'convex faces of the staves.

3. In a barrel stave finishing machine, the combination of an elongate stationary frame, a pair of cut-off devices mounted at opposite sides of the frame in spaced relationship, to equalize the lengths of arched staves fed thereto by severing end portions from the staves, a moving conveyor on the frame for feeding staves laterally and in a common direction to and past the cut-off devices, stave supporting means at the delivery end of the conveyor, to receive staves deposited thereon by the conveyor, a stave transfer device mounted above the stavesupporting means, said transfer device comprising a carriage movable toward and from said supporting means and any stave resting thereon, a rotatable arbor on the carriage, and a friction spool fixed on the arbor for rotation therewith in a plane transverse to the line of con veyor travel, said friction spool being shaped in substantial conformity With the arch of the stave for registry therewith, power means on the carriage constantly rotating said arbor and spool, and timing means operative to lower the carriage towards a stave resting on said supporting means, to dispose the rotating spool against such 7 stave and thereby transfer the same lengthwise from the supporting means;

' 4. In a barrel stave'finishing machine, the combination with a conveyor having spaced, driven endless con veyor members,- each having thereon equally spaced resilient fingers for propelling barrel. staves with the convex side up" in spaced parallel relation, means for sawing the ends of the staves to provide staves of equal lengths as they are advanced by the conveyor, and a transfer table comprising free-running rollers for receiving said staves, the resilient fingers on the conveyor members yieldingly bringing the staves to rest at a substantially fixed posi= tion on the transfer rollers, of apparatus for conveying said staves, said apparatus comprising a transfer mech anism having driven friction means for engaging the convex side of said staves when in one position and profuelling them at substantially right angles tothe directiona'l travel of the conveyor, said mechanism being operable" to or from the stave engaging position of saidfriction drive means, means operating in" timed relation with said stave conveyor for actuating said friction transfer means to stave engaging position.

In a barrel stave finishing machine, endless conveyor means, said conveyor means includingequally spaced fingers for propelling barrel staves with the con vex side up in spaced parallel relation, means for sawingthe ends of the staves to provide staves of equal lengths as they are advanced by the conveyor,- and a transfer table including free running rollers for receiving said staves; said conveyor means and said fingers traveling along a path extending adjacent an: intermediate ortion of said freerunning-rollers for bringing the staves to rest on the transfer rollers, said fingers each including a lower substantially unyielding portion adjacent said conveyor meansfor engaging the barrel staves and advancing them toward said rollers, and each of said fingers also including an upper flexible portion of considerably greater flexibilit-y than said lower portionthereof whereby the staves are brought to rest on the transfer rollers smoothly without cockingthereof and at a substantially fixed position, transfer mechanism for engaging the convex side of said staves when in position onsaid transfer rollers and propelling them at substantially right angles to the direc'tional travel of the conveyor, and means operated in relation to the arrangement of a stave en the transfer rollers for actuating the transfer mechanisrnu 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5; wherein said trans fermechanism includes a plurality of friction discsdefining a spool having a shape complementary to the convex face of a stave for insuring full contact of the discs upon the convex face of the' staves to provide a maximum degree ofaccuracy in directing the staves ofi of the transfer rollers.

7. In a barrel stave finishing machine, conveyor means fonadvancing staves laterally in a common direction, means for sawing the ends of the staves to provide staves of equal lengths as they are advanced by the conveyor means, stave tr 'ansfer table means disposed adjacent one end portion of said conveyor means for receiving staves advanced by' the conveyor means, said transfer table means including a plurality of transfer rollers receiving said staves thereon, a transfer device, said transfer device comprising" a" carriage movable toward and away from said transfer rollers, and a plurality of friction discs r'otatabl'y supported by said carriage and arranged to rotate in planes substantially transverse, to the line of conveyor advancement, said friction discs being of varying diameter to define a spool having shape complementary to the convert face of astave, and driving means supportedby said carriage and operatively connected to said friction discs for rotating the discs, whereby said discs engage said staves, and propel the staves at substantially right anglestolthe direction of travel of said conveyor means.

8. In a barrel stave finishing machine, conveyor means for advancing staves laterally in a common direction, means for sawing the ends of the staves to provide staves of equal lengthsas they are advancedby the conveyor means, stave transfer table means disposed adjacent one end portion of said conveyor means for receiving staves advanced by the conveyor means, said transfer table means including a plurality oftransfer rollers receiving said staves thereon; a transfef device for engaging said staves and propelling them at: substantially right angles to" the directional travel dfsaid conveyor means; said transfer device comprising a carriage movable toward and away from said transfer rollers, and a plurality of friction discs rotatably supported by said carriage and arrangedto rotate in planes substantially transverse to the line 'of conveyor advancement,- said friction discs being of varying diameter to define-a spool having a shape complementary totheconvex face ofa stave; and means operating in timed relatidnshipto the movement ofsaid conveyor means and arrival of staves atthe'trans'fer table means for moving said carriage-and thesupported friction discs toward and away from said transfer rollers to periodi'cally engage staves onthe transfer rollers.

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